I set out to find a recipe that would allow me to use some of my leftover smoked pork loin. After all, variety is the spice of life, right? This recipe for Easy Garlic Ginger Glazed Sticky Pork came from the FoodieWithFamily.com site. This was an easy recipe made with ingredients I had on hand, including my leftover pork loin, and the finished product rivaled a Chinese restaurant dish you’d want to order again and again. Serving note: I served this with a side of sauteed baby spinach dressed with a few dashes of sesame oil. You need a fresh vegetable like spinach or broccoli to balance the sweet spiciness of this dish.

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 pounds boneless center cut pork loin, cut into 1/4 inch slabs and then 1/4 inch strips, about 3 inches long (Note: I used my leftover smoked pork which was cooked to a medium. Adjust the cooking time if using pork that is already cooked or partially cooked)
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon canola or peanut oil
5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 inch knob of fresh ginger (I never have fresh ginger on hand. A substitute, which I used, is ground ginger. A 1 inch piece of fresh ginger equals about 1 1/4 teaspoons of ground ginger.)
1/2 cup mild honey (the lighter the better)
2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup sriracha (Remember, this is a matter of personal taste and it’s easier to add a bit more than to fix a dish if you start with too much spice.)
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar or white wine vinegar

INSTRUCTIONS:

It’s very important to have all of your ingredients chopped, measured, prepped and ready to go before you start the cooking process. This moves pretty quickly once you start cooking.

In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the honey, sriracha and vinegar. Set aside.

Pour oil into a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium high heat and swirl to coat. Let it heat until the oil shimmers. While the oil is heating, season the pork strips with the salt and black pepper, tossing with your hands to coat it evenly. Carefully add the pork to the oil in the pan, working in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding. Brown uniformly, moving the strips around the pan. Remove the pork to a plate.

Add the garlic and ginger to your pan, stirring until fragrant. About 30 seconds.

Raise the heat to high and pour in the sauce mixture. Bring this to a boil, stirring frequently. When the sauce is very “bubby and thickened like warm honey,” add the pork strips back in and toss to coat evenly. Continue reducing the sauce until it’s a thick, sticky glaze on the pork.

Serve immediately over rice or noodles.